Dol Hareubang Stone Statues

These stone statues, known by various names such as useokmok, museokmok, and beoksu-meori, were originally erected at the gates of the castle towns of Jeju-mok, Jeongui-hyeon, and Daejeong-hyeon. They are now scattered across the Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum, Jeju National University, Jeju City Hall, Jeju International Airport, Samseonghyeol, and Gwandeokjeong Pavilion, with 21 statues in Jeju city, 12 in Seongeup, and 12 in the villages of Inseong, Anseong, and Boseong in Daejeong, totalling 45 in all. The statues typically wear a bungeoji, a traditional brimmed felt hat, and have large bulging eyes, a prominent fist-sized nose, and tightly closed lips, with both hands placed solemnly below the belly. The average height of the Dol Hareubang is 187 cm in Jeju, 141 cm in Seongeup, and 134 cm in Daejeong, and they are thought to have been made around 1754, the thirtieth year of King Yeongjo. Erected in front of castle gates, the statues are believed to have served as guardian deities, objects of shamanistic ritual, and boundary markers, functions similar to those of the jangseung guardian posts found on the mainland. Today Dol Hareubang is well known both in Korea and abroad as a symbol representing Jeju Island, and it is a cherished piece of folk heritage admired by people around the world. The name 'Dol Hareubang' is a relatively recent coinage; the statues' original names were useokmok, museokmok, and beoksu-meori.

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Where it is

Region

Seogwipo, Jeju

Designation

Provincial Folklore Heritage · 시도민속문화유산